Mona Vanderwaal: Could She Ever Be Trusted? PLL

Today is a deep dive into Mona from PLL- her evolution, exclusion and why her redemption arc was never as big as I'd wanted it to be. Bustle called her the most important character, which I wholeheartedly agree with, so I would have loved more to happen with her.
Timestamps
intro 00:00
her evolution 03:02
should Mona have been the fifth liar? 31:43
mental illness and mental health 35:21
reading your comments about Mona 40:23
Today's great title is thanks to subscriber J Riley! 🎉🎊
insta: serena_sky1_
Binge my pretty little liars playlist! Lots of character deep dives✨
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why the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS finale ruined the show: Who should have been AD?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYrre....
how the writers murdered Emily Fields- deep dive video essay
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJbuH...
Everything Wrong with PRETTY LITTLE LIARS... 10 years later www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AfR2....
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: my unpopular opinions 😉... let's get scandalous
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBcT....
the unexplored plot lines of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQLW5....
a deep dive into all the A reveals...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nQdP...
pt 1 of reacting to the PLL books:
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pt. 2 of reacting to the PLL books:
• OMG - The Pretty Littl...
OTHER VIDEOS FROM ME
my walk of shame: movie edition playlist-
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let's talk tv shows playlist: 😎
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my Desperate Housewives playlist:
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Euphoria (Cassie Howard analysis)
• Cassie Howard: The Cha...
Fate: the Winx Saga
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-d2T...
my Pretty Little Liars playlist:
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'You': why we root for Joe Goldberg:
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Emily in Paris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhfdK...
Scream Queens
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0784...
revisiting Reign:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bmpP...

[@SerenaSkybourne]

anyone else ship Caleb and Mona 🤣

[@RoscoSefren]

I hadn't considered it until this video, now I want to go watch it again through that lens.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

@@RoscoSefren haha same

[@user-ll2de1cp2n]

Bruh hearing you say that made me feel more valid lol I thought I was just seeing stuff that wasn’t there! But they absolutely had great chemistry and I would’ve loved for them to be endgame tbh

[@who8776]

Hahah i kinda do

[@henrikguemoes1003]

i liked mike and mona

[@danterpan]

i just cant wrap my mind around the fact these girls can forgive a p*dophile that STALKED them and was going to write a book about how terrible they all were over Mona. she isnt perfect by any means but them constantly making her such a villain when shes a product of their treatment towards her. she’s tried time and time again to prove how useful she is and how sorry she was for her actions. it brings me back to your past videos of what you said about how this show is about friendship and yet they couldnt even try to be nice to Mona.

[@katarinalavoie6476]

Periodt. I hated the fact that other characters got forgiven for betraying them or doing actions worse than her. Like sure we know Mona is far from perfect but so are these girls and other cast members. Mona stuck her neck out for them far more then these girls stick up for each other too. Like damn.

[@BlessedHen]

Sigh. Both issues are wrong. If we’re talking about who did worse? If you are saying that Ezra, who never physically hurt anyone and his problem was manipulation, vs literally everything that Mona did... people really have covers over their eyes when it comes to Mona and it’s tragic

[@radhikamathur5077]

Because he was stalking them but didn't try to kill them or ruin their lives. He didn't make things worse for them. He just gathered info. It was wrong and disgusting but Mona nearly killed each of them, negatively affecting their health (Ulcer and Radley), and ruined their lives.

[@sashakarasawa5794]

@@radhikamathur5077 just stop. ehhh

[@ann-leysaintlouis315]

@@BlessedHen But Ezra did hurt someone do you not remember in Ravenswood when Ezra fought Spencer in the barn? Ezra had many issues he was manipulative, he was a groomer and a stalker, etc. Yes Mona did fucked up shit but you need to consider that she might not have fully been there mentally due to her disorder whereas Ezra who had nothing stalked teenage girls for a book.

[@tomlawal7991]

Mona was everyone’s favourite problematic character that you hated loving. She’s multifaceted and offered a dimensionality the other liars lacked because they had to be portrayed as paragons of good.

[@pupax2000]

Exactly!

[@atinyevil1383]

I couldn’t have said it better. Mona felt like someone you’d meet in the real world where she’s not just one dimensional trope.

[@ellavek1998]

Didn't really see them as paragons of good.

[@Willow.the.creative]

bitch i love loving mona

[@jayabando6719]

I never hated loving Mona. I love that I loved her! I love Janel Parrish.

[@jonginisholy]

I really wish they made Mona a liar. I love her dynamic with the girls. I would have loved it if she had to prove herself to the girls and then they all would slowly start getting to know her better and start to grow fond of her. If they were gonna do a redemption arc it should have been for Mona, not Ali.

[@v1olante]

Exactly

[@kulsuuum]

In a way I’m kind of glad that Mona didn’t have a redemption arc because it may not have gone in the direction we’d have wanted (as with Ali’s redemption arc), and honestly it was nice to see Mona have different layers to her character rather than being a one-dimensional character who was just ‘good’. It sort of kept the suspense since we didn’t expect many of the things she did. She’s the perfect anti-hero

[@kulsuuum]

Having said that, I defo do wish the girls treated her better though because she tried many times to make amends and help them but she was always considered the outcast

[@tammyoreis]

Completely agree. Ali coming back with that blob personality didn't make sense at all

[@mariafernandaperezsaldivar4505]

@@kulsuuum They hated it the way Ali played with people but they played with Mona all the time, making her feel part of the group and then ditching her after they get what they want

[@isabelzuka4438]

Mona is my favorite character, I love how complex she is

[@insertnamehere4515]

same

[@SerenaSkybourne]

me too

[@kieranoconnell5206]

Mona Lies-a

[@damianoscuteri6376]

Same I love when mona was talking to Hannah and she was like “if no one pulled off the Mona Lisa off of da vinci’s canvas she would’ve had a perm” than Hannah says “wait you had a perm” I love Hannah and mona

[@s.ugahoneyicetea]

She is one of the most interesting tv villains ever. Her writing was perfect.

[@tanyajain1564]

One of the things that the writers did that I really liked (whether on purpose or not) was the fact that they actually said that Mona was a nerd from the start, so her intelligence and genuine "talent" with computers wasn't just out of the blue. I mean I would have totally preferred if they actually showed Mona being nerdy, instead of just having the girls say it. (like u cant just say someone is nerdy cause they wear glasses)

[@blesbeauty1018]

Yh like a scene where she is rambling about something she likes

[@shayan6291]

They kinda did that in the overnight school episode where she helped Emily

[@tanyajain1564]

​@@shayan6291 yeah ur right but i wanted more tbh, I know it showed that she was smart but it was like she was spencer level smart uk (i mean i think that at least half of us can help our friends out by tutoring them like Mona did, so it doesn't scream mastermind), i wanted her to come across as better than spencer like nothing ever pointed to her being a computer genius or a manipulative mastermind.(Ik that, that might have been intentional because they didn't want us to figure out who it is but i mean after the first season, we all kind of knew it was her, so why not have three or four episodes just showing Mona actually doing the things she did) Like something i feel that could have been nice was if she beat Melissa in something because throughout the show, they kept showing us that Melissa was smarter than spencer (or at least spencer and her family thought that she was) and that didn't have too much significance (except to show her parents reactions to Melissa being better than spencer at everything which was toxic but like it had no real value in the A story line).They could have used that as a subtle way to show us how smart Mona really was.

[@K-popstanLuver]

i think it was somewhat on purpose. i believe she pretty smart in the books. we just don't get to see it like the show since she died.

[@moviemoth4192]

I would say in a realistic scenario the girls don’t have to forgive Mona but they’re willing to forgive Ezra and other people like Toby who have betrayed them for reasons. So it just feels somewhat inconsistent like Mona is the only person who is unforgivable.

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

Exactly they forgave Ali how many times? I would’ve never forgave Ali

[@moviemoth4192]

@@Jessica.Shawnte I feel like Mona‘s mental health would be the perfect reason that they should be able to forgive her where is Allie was just mean because she was mean.

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

@@moviemoth4192 right but on the other hand she did do some messed up stuff could’ve killed Hanna and the others so it’s not really realistic but I hated that they used her they’re not that far off from Ali

[@moviemoth4192]

@@Jessica.Shawnte I mean I agree that the stuff she did was really dangerous but if she was on proper medication then it’s less likely that she would do those things again. There’s no medicating Allie she was just a horrible friend and a bad person. But they forgive her ya know?

[@marig9236]

esp from Hanna

[@giovanalaurence]

I lowkey wished Alison to be A. Like, imagine if at the end of season one we found out that the Liars really did something to Ali. Maybe Spencer had accidentally "killed" her and the other girls had covered it up, and A was actually Alison wanting revenge. I need this fanfic on my desk right now

[@kylieephraim5706]

My plotwist is that is the liars faking the whole time

[@ChrisAtheist]

Actually a fun fact is that Aria was supposed to be A instead of Mona And if my sources are correct than Alison was in the book A and wanted to kill them All

[@artsenal714]

I think Mona was supposed to be the first A and Cece the second A but Aria was supposed to be the final A

[@Maomaomahu]

@@ChrisAtheist yeah I’m the book it was a twin who wanted to assume the identity of the other twin right?

[@omniscient.nescience]

@@Maomaomahu Basically, from what I remember, the twist was that the Alison they had known before the series was actually her twin, Courtney, who was then killed by the real Alison, Aka A. I can't remember the entire thing, but it was way better done than in the show, and the real Alison is honestly such a good villain.

[@mikeyskater2000]

I think Mona and Caleb are two sides of the same coin and that’s where their synchronized tension comes from. They’ve both done bad things but think they’re doing it for the right reason. And usually that reason is Hannah.

[@annaeverette8960]

Agreed. I also think Mona makes Caleb feel a little insecure because she is better than him at hacking (or at least is able to get her hands on better software xD)

[@chocolateiguess1613]

@@annaeverette8960 her software slays btw

[@rafaelaoliveira3724]

I used to like Mona's ending, but now I understand that it was just the surprise factor that made me interested. Mona keeping Alex and Mary in that new dollhouse made 0 sense and just showed to us that she, unfortunately, got addict to the game AGAIN. It really damaged her evolution in my opinion.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

same, shes back to square one again

[@ameliagogan4184]

you guys should watch The Perfectionists, Mona is in a much better mental state there and a protagonist

[@trashyho02]

the fact that mona didn’t know she was A until she got that part of the script is CRAZY!! in theatre we do so much character work where we have to analyze the script until we know it like the back of our hand, so to not even be able to fully know your motives until season 2 is WILD as an aspiring actress

[@jjjjj4787]

Idk why but I thought the Mona reveal was amazing and should’ve ended there. Like yes was it easy to see coming? Yes. But Mona had incredible motives to be doing it. Spencer’s evil twin? Literally so dumb haha

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes totally agree with you

[@zellalaing5439]

After mona was revealed i dont think i ever watched a full episode without skipping parts, it felt like a chore to get through parts, but the series leading to Mona as A was alright.

[@ThePiinkcoco]

If the girls could forgive every damn person. Ezra, Paige trying to drown Em, and Ali… Mona should be on the list because they caused Mona’s downfall

[@alexwallar8608]

Unpopular opinion: I feel The Liars distrust in Mona was 110% justified. I mean she's awesome and all but if I went through any of the things she put the Liars, I wouldn't want to be in sneezing distance of her either

[@SerenaSkybourne]

yeah i'd be a little cautious myself

[@shani3228]

I agree. I love Mona she is one of my favourite characters and I think in some ways it would have been nice to see the liars gradually gain her trust, but I understand why they would find it hard to ever properly forgive her and move on. She was the first A and put them through a lot so I think it's understandable

[@bubba94290]

But let their guard down with male characters like Ezra. It doesn’t seem fair.

[@eduardaarrais]

@@bubba94290 I agree. Especially because Moina then started to help them and be an ally, and from that moment on them not trusting or forgiving her just makes it seem like they're using her. Which was what made Mona want to get revenge on them on the first place

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

Right

[@Angela41541]

i think there's also an argument to be made that if mona didn't do the whole A thing, hanna wouldn't have got closer to the other girls again. cause in the first season the only reason the 4 girls starts hanging out again as a group is because they have this common threat. so mona actually almost pushed hanna away and into their friend group

[@befaithfully]

I love Mona. Especially her dynamic with Spencer (mostly in season 3). She was such a complex character and Janel Parrish did an amazing job. But I feel like there were many missed opportunities. Oh and I agree. Mike and Mona were really cute although they had not much screentime (unfortunatly). I wanted them to be endgame.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes I love mike and mona they definitely should be endgame 💯❣

[@jasonmoukala8909]

@@angelaholmes8888 why? Mike shouldn’t be with a person who did all those terrible things to his sister

[@dant697]

Mona was one of the best characters in my opinion. She was the best A reveal and it made the most sense. I think she resonated with a lot of people who got bullied by the popular girls or the pretty girls, I think she kind of became the power fantasy that you had whenever you got into a really dark headspace with being bullied. Not that that excuses some of the awful things she does but because it's a teen drama it's like the ultimate revenge plot you think of when you're young . I also think of all the A reveals she had the most emotional weight in the story. I think had Cece just been a friend of Allison who thought the liars had killed her and wanted revenge and heard about Mona' s A game that would have been a lot better when she revealed herself at the end. I didn't like that she was this secret sibling who dated her brother??? at one point and don't even get me started on Alex because that was just the most disconnected mess of a reveal that I still am mad about to this day. I also think a huge reason people love Mona is because Janel Parish really brought her to life she was easily one of the best actresses in the show in my opinion and you could tell she really gave it her all. I think Mona was underused throughout the show and mishandled Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk about how much I love Mona as a character

[@ellavek1998]

Lost me on secret sibling who dated her brother.

[@pupax2000]

Mona was great. Your series on PPL make me realize how charismatic and good actresses the girls really were. The show had potential, but really all we watched was them being surprised about being stalked in a new way each week, frantically running about without much aim to try solve it, in vain, while being not super good people. Those girls carried the show hard, and kept us watching, and loving them, despite it all.

[@jesaea]

FR!!!! I mainly like PLL at this point because of the actors rather than the story

[@crystalaforetia2810]

For me, the Liars didn't need to like Mona post-season 3. But it really bothers me how they never seem to genuinely reflect on how their complicit in Ali's bullying led to Mona being the way she is and how inconsistent their ability to forgive is. Distrusting Mona makes perfect sense. But how are Ezra and Alison brought back into the fold after the terrible things they did? Alison isn't morally superior to Mona in any meaningful way- the Jenna thing, bullying of Emily and Paige over their sexuality, pushing Hanna towards an eating disorder, blackmailing Byron, etc. AND Alison's behavior pre-disappearance- unlike Mona's stint as A- is soooooo poorly motivated.

[@jasonmoukala8909]

Um what? Alison definitely better than Mona. Also Alison didn’t straight bully Emily about being gay, she teased her but not bully. Also Alison only told Hana to throw up one time but only because she genuinely wanted to help Hana. She didn’t push Hana towards an eating disorder. Also she only blackmailed arias dad to see if he was A. She even said that. Not to mention she protected the girls for years from Mona and cece

[@EldonMBrown]

Mona was done so dirty. She really felt like they were gonna make here a liar

[@ellay2715]

I haven’t finished the video yet but I love it already! Also I think that Mona basically turned Hanna into Alison (she even encouraged Hanna to wear Ali’s old top once) and it shows the depth of her obsession and insecurity and they should’ve explored that more 🤔

[@SerenaSkybourne]

i agree, mona had a proper obsession

[@sagelynch7635]

I honestly think Mona turned Hanna into Ali because all Mona wanted was to be her best friend 😬

[@alexk4138]

Ali as a villain and Mona as the one who gets a redemption arc just makes way more sense. Ali was this omnipresent, powerful force, she literally had beef with everyone, she had dirt on everyone and literal adults were scared of her, she was vindictive, spiteful and evil. Mona was no saint but she had her reasons for being who she was, even if that didn't justify her harassing the girls for years. She was a nice girl who went off the rails because of Ali's bullying, Ali was just flat out evil. She became so bland when she came back whereas they managed that balance between good but not bland with Mona a lot better maybe because Mona just isn't this same character archetype that Ali was. A redemption arc made sense for her. Like even when being A she had to channel her inner Alison, she used the first letter of ALISONS name, she used phrases ALISON used and she tried to sound a lot like ALISON in her messages. Alison worked because she only ever was in flashbacks and if she would have still been evil when she came back. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Emison even now and even realizing the problematic aspects but even I agree that Ali would have been better as a villain without Emison happening. That being said, in a real life situation the liars wouldn't owe any of these people forgiveness but since in the show-canon they forgave people like Alison and Ezra in a heartbeat and were even trying to forgive Charlotte, the whole "we'll never trust you Mona" up until the very last season seemed quite ridiculous.

[@jasonmoukala8909]

The girls didn’t owe Alison forgiveness, they chose to for many reasons, not only because she was their best friend but because she protected them for years from Mona and cece. Alison being the villain would’ve been way to obvious and made zero sense with how they set everything up from the beginning

[@alexk4138]

@@jasonmoukala8909 wrong

[@jasonmoukala8909]

@@alexk4138 nope I’m right

[@jaman_jy]

i think the main issue i have with mona's mental health is that they refer to her as crazy mona and yet act like she's 100% rational and her words are "reliable" -somehow- and not (AT LEAST) partially a result of said illness when, like...... a mental illness that affects your life to *this* degree is vastly debilitating and means you're not completely sound of mind.

[@NishutiP]

I think mona and mike had the best chemistry too. idk if it was the actors but the romance felt the most authentic out of all the couples. It felt more real and honest to me since both characters had obvious flaws but they loved each other knowing them therefore, growing as people together. To me that was real love and it seemed realistic how they would've bonded over trauma and mental health issues.

[@chanelwilson7814]

It’s probably because we didn’t see enough in f them. Had the writers developed them more and got Mike involved, they would have went through more stressful situations just like the other couples did. Same with the other Liars’ love interests

[@annaeverette8960]

Pausing to say YES, I *loved* Mona and Mike together. They were the sweetest couple, and he saw and appreciated her for what she actually is. It's a shame that the writers broke them up.

[@jasonmoukala8909]

Mike shouldn’t be with someone who did all those terrible things to his sister

[@mugiwara-no-lucy7802]

Mona deserved SO MUCH Better!!!!! I hated how cliquey the liars were to her.....

[@jasmineyoung7565]

so glad I'm here so early. I've been dying for this episode. I always thought Mona was one of the (if not, THE) most interesting characters. Her relationship with Mike was SO interesting to me, and I loved them together. As a kid I loved Aria, and I remember actually being very angry with her for going so hard against Mona and Mike. And Janel was perfect in the role. I wholeheartedly believe Mona should've been the 5th liar and Allison should not have had a full redemption and instead should've still been a baddie.

[@jasonmoukala8909]

Why would they ever accept Mona into their group after everything she did to them

[@catazoe7535]

it somehow feels like the writers would start setting up a plotline for mona and then decide to give it to someone else?? like the whole fifth liar switching from mona to alison in season 4 situation, the tension she had with caleb (maybe they were thinking of making them a thing, and decided on spaleb afterwards. horrible decision btw), etc. in the end she was always kind of thrown back into obscurity and the only plotlines she was actually given were literally all sort of related to her being "crazy". they did her so dirty and I'll die mad

[@chanelwilson7814]

I agree with her tension with Caleb. Everyone always goes on about how Spencer and Caleb have “a lot” in common when they only had the smarts. Caleb has more in common with Mona. Even as a hardcore Haleb shipper, I would have preferred there being a Maleb-Haleb love triangle rather than what we got in 6B-7A. I like the idea of Mona and Caleb being frenemies to lovers, and both of them being tech-geniuses who were outcasts at one point in their lives who felt alone until they met Hanna, it would have made more sense than Spaleb. Of course, I’d want Haleb to end up together because I believe Caleb will always love Hanna the most and put her before any of the others.

[@hayleekurtz9174]

Could we get a video on Jason, I find his character really interesting. (S3 spoiler) remember when aria was trapped in the box on the ghost train? And she stabbed someone through the box… well at the very end of the episode we see a circular stab wound on his lower torso, but they never really mention it again? Like did he try to kill aria or was he helping her 😳

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

The amount of time they spent on Paige they could’ve gave it to Jason

[@FlipFlopped]

Pretty sure it was Wilden who was stabbed. Mona shows it at the beginning of season 4 that it was both Melissa and Wilden that were dressed up as the queen of hearts on the train. Garrett was already dead in the box with Aria and a female can be heard saying to push the box out of the train before the stabbing happened. The video recording that Mona showed had Wilden saying to Melissa something along the lines that ‘it’s not gonna happen, Garretts gonna tell everything’ which makes no sense because he was already dead? I think Melissa said to Spencer that Wilden was blackmailing her, but she was also encouraging Wilden to help her push the box out of the train? It’s never explained why Aria was targeted. Garrett was because he was going to expose about the NAT club and Wilden being crooked. Just really sloppy writing from Marlene and co. Don’t have any high expectations for them lol

[@kylieephraim5706]

@@FlipFlopped yh it was watched it recently

[@ChrisAtheist]

@@FlipFlopped Melissa said to Spencer she tried to push Aria off the train in the box to protect Her Melissa thought Aria is A Which makes Sense she was supposed to be A but it was changed

[@alias1150]

I think Jason is my favorite male character in the show. They always try to make him seem "bad" but for the most part he's just a passive guy with a crappy family situation. He did start the NAT club which is sketchy but Ian seemed way more invested in spying on underage girls.

[@amandas235]

When mona started getting A text before her reveal I remember Hanna told her to come sit with them at lunch and I was just like, wait so Hanna sees Mona sit alone everyday at lunch and never invites her to sit with them???

[@AllLifeIsTravesty]

I know this is silly but in Spanish "mona" is the feminine form of "monkey" and a common nickname/endearment especially for little children and so throughout this entire video that is _all_ I can think of which makes hearing it as a "proper" name is making my brain go bonkers. It's like hearing someone named "sweetie" or "dearie".

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

It could be worse: in the Italian venetian dialect, mona is a kinda lewd way to say vagina. XD

[@whisperwillows]

i never undertand when in books and movies, they don't want to go to a therapist. those sessions lead to the most interesting conversations and it feels like your soul gets a good cleansing. also, people like to share their problems and a therapist is litetally there to listen and not judge you for it. best thing ever

[@ICW1447]

I associate myself with Mona since the very first season i saw her, i have a lot in common with this character, i deeply understand this felling when you being left out of the group, this lonliness, jelousy, no matter whether you faking yourself or being reall its still very hard to make any close relathionships. Also i wholeheartedly belived in Mike and Mona's feelings for each other, with such a little amount of screen time this couple seemed so pure and right. In addition Janel Parrish was made for this role

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Do you think Mona is a well-written character?

[@hannahhh2269]

Yes, she's my favourite since season 3. I like how they didn't kill her in the show (because she dies in the books) and she was always so interesting to watch.

[@rosesmifsud2661]

I love Mona . Better than Ali is better as a friend. After her being A she should has been the the 5 liar, After they thought she was dead they cared for her but last season is like they didn't care anymore.

[@alexjames7144]

She was the only consistent character and the only one with a decent character arc. By most shows standards she's average but by pll standards she was godlike. We still stan tho

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes I loved her character in the show Janelle was so right there was so many layers when it came to mona that's what I loved about her 😊☺️👍💖💝

[@mariusantondotsch2883]

Honestly I think she was a great and intimidating villain thanks to Janel Parrish's great acting Tho I don't like the last scene of her in PLL that much where Mona keeps Alex and Mary captive. It showed that she hasn't outgrown her psychopathic tendencies. Kinda disappointing

[@brittanybennett2925]

One thing that never really made sense to me is that the threats only started happening to the girls once Aria returned to Rosewood...but before Hanna started abandoning Mona. She was still Monas best friend and hadn't started ditching her to figure out A stuff with the other girls until after the threats happened. So Mona's whole reasoning of the liars stealing hanna from her was totally untrue. I think the psychological damage inflicted by Alison is the main reason why she kept trying to replace her. Mona wanted friends and wanted that adoration but Alison was queen bee and Mona saw her as a threat. Monas mental illness also played a huge role...

[@ChrisAtheist]

That's because Aria was supposed to be A but they changed it to Mona

[@miafml-ux2wf]

mona was easily one of the most interesting characters her ark was amazing and im so glad they gave her a chance unlinke what they did with emily/mike/jason. the way janel parish played her was amazing she was able to play 3 completely different characters but they all had a similar personality trait that links the three together which is hard to play

[@earlgaytea]

i was also drawn to mike and mona and they were my favorite couple and i also felt some sexual tension between caleb and mona. i remember tyler said that he liked kissing janel because she had nice lips and they both said the other one was a good kisser at a convention

[@thaboiinblue]

I couldn’t agree more with the commenter who said that the show didn’t have the guts to kill off Mona in season 5. This is TOO true. They didn’t have the guts to kill off such a popular character like her, just like they didn’t have the guts to end Aria and Ezra’s relationship despite how horrible and creepy it was, because he was a popular character and that was the most popular ship. He too could have been killed off when he got shot to raise the stakes, but no, it was business as usual and they ended up married… 🤦🏾‍♂️ Issues like these remind me of what I can’t stand about SO many shows and networks these days (and not even just ones like the CW): writers, producers and showrunners will literally bend over backwards to keep characters around who ought to go, get rid of or diminish characters who could have been better and served the story better, and overall just do anything in the name of fanservice, but not even well. Because while many, myself included, absolutely adored Mona, unless they actually did something better with her (such as redeem her while making Alison and Aria the villains), than keeping her around and doing what they ended up doing was a waste of everyone’s time, least of all the fans.

[@blesbeauty1018]

I absolutely hate aria and ezra's relationship 😑 😒

[@millieboon]

It did annoy me how they treated mona, like just always finding her annoying when she was not even doing anything, and yes they didn’t have to be besties with her but they could have a mutual respect as she has gone through the same things as them, and I liked when Hannah would be the only one to see her as a struggling human but she would flip flop depending on the story line and that was disappointing as it wasn’t consistent.

[@deedee0912]

There is a reason why Jack dies at the end of Titanic. He could’ve survived, Mythbusters proved it, but Jack as a character had served his purpouse to the story, to the plot. I feel like so had Mona. After she “died” they didn’t really know what to do with her so they didn’t end up doing anything worthwhile. There was no character growth for her and the girls couldn’t grow from her, realising their mistakes etc. Janel is one of the strongest actresses of the bunch I think, but Mona’s purpouse had been fulfilled. She should’ve been killed off. That also could’ve given the writers so much material for all the rest of As who could’ve tormented the girls with things like - Mona turned out the way she did because of you, and now she’s dead because of you, and really psychologically impact them. P.S. I’m honestly scared for the PLL revival, especially at the hands of the Riverdale creator. That’s gonna be one big mess

[@jasonmoukala8909]

Pll is getting revived?

[@kutjegodverdomme]

I feel exactly the same about having these thoughts but having no one to spew to. That's why I love your channel and your interactions on instagram for example, because I can give my two cents :D

[@SerenaSkybourne]

haha its so fun to chat about it with people who love the show as much as you do

[@Rachel_Wasserman]

would love to see you do a character analysis on Ezra

[@cokecherry_4982]

yesss

[@michanone]

I always thought Mona said Aria was the compassionate one because people saw Aria as the one with the most compassion. Maybe she was referring to the fact that Aria knew best how to play the nice girl while she really wasn't.

[@mountaindew9]

so glad you called out the mental health issues with Mona, so inappropriate how it was treated.

[@liamstatham3362]

We’ve been waiting so patiently 🧡 thank you! Janel was perfect in this role.

[@fatbitch7168]

that bit about Mona sacrificing herself for Ashley was too AAAAAAAA 🤧

[@0fficial.alyris952]

Mona was so much more dimensional. I personally loved Mona more than the main characters. She just had more depth. Mona definitely was nuts and had her awful moments. But Ali ridiculed and hurt her so the things Mona did before and after her (Ali) disappearance was inevitable. The other girls on the other were bystanders but IMO deserved the same treatment cause although they said nothing mean they didn’t stop it and just followed. Ali: if you ignore it, it will go away. (Referring to Mona) Other: *silence*

[@crazychickenakame]

I think it's quite funny, that I watch all of your videos about pll and other stuff and love them, but I stopped watching alfter the half of the show. So now I know so much, but I never watched it till the end. So really big compliments, you kept me more interested than the actual show.

[@SerenaSkybourne]

haha thankyou I'm very flattered xx

[@AmethystKaianna]

I loved Mona, she was so interesting and I was actually shocked when she was A in season 2. The only time I enjoyed a reveal of the A Team. And as people have said I love how complex she is

[@peachbombshell22]

Can we just talk about how much better it would've been if Ali and Mona's storylines were switched after Ali came back? I mean Ali was quickly included back into the group but the girls were still suspicious and she was pretty shady then by the ending everyone loved her, that could've worked beautifully for Mona and then Mona's storyline would've been perfect for Ali, she appeared always around the group but never belonged, she was mysterious and smart, like Ali used to be. I truly wish the storylines were switched and Ali got to be suspicious till the ending when she's revealed as A.D or secretly the Liars' helper CONSPIRACY THEORY: those were the characters' original storylines but when they decided to make Ali the 5th liar, they gave Mona Ali's storyline-

[@fatbitch7168]

damn that last part is so true jfkd they made a better job of having a sketchy, anti-hero-ish Mona than redeeming Alison

[@mirandaweber9383]

I think its weird to be so against a redemption arch for Mona when they had one for Ezra and Allison. I would much rather have had one for Mona than Allison. I think Mona was way more sympathetic than Allison. I honestly had more sympathy for her than any of the liars.

[@jlafaro]

Can’t compare what Mona did to the girls to Alison or Ezra. She did way worse to them.

[@CrystalGoddess90]

@@jlafaro Worse than Ezra? He used, stalked, manipulated, gaslighted and abused minors when he was their teacher!

[@Mels0103]

@@jlafaro No, what E*** did was definitely worse lol

[@jlafaro]

I disagree. I find what Mona did way worse. I’m not condoning a teacher dating a student by any stretch of the imagination but Mona stalked and tormented these girls for two years. She did horrendous things to them out of pure viciousness. Whatever ezras motives were, they weren’t purposely malicious. Selfish yes. Absolute sociopath, no. He didn’t try to kill them. Blackmail them. All because one of their friends was mean to her? Give me a break.

[@CrystalGoddess90]

@@jlafaro I'm not saying that Mona was a saint, but the line between villain and victim is thin. Ezra was an adult, he had powers and he abused them in the most dangerous way possible.

[@peps3283]

I love this video and I agree on so much things like Mona trying to redeem herself, her relation with Mike (otp), her relation with Caleb (hilarious), the way the girls treated Mona, etc... But I just wanted to tell my opinion about some subjects you talked about: I find interesting the way you talk about Mona wanting to fill Alison because we can see that Hanna was more popular than Mona. Mona made HANNA the new queen bee. Mona didn't want to be the queen of hight school, she wanted to be popular and loved yes, but what she wanted the most was to have a friend. I disagree when you say that Mona tried to be A like Alison because when she was popular Mona she was clearly insecure, she wanted to be like Alison because she knew Alison was admired by everyone and when she saw that Hanna started becoming friend with Lucas she started acting exactly like Alison because the bullying had really traymatized her, she was afraid of being nice because she knew Alison wasn't.... What I mean is that popular Mona wanted to be like Alison. But A Mona, it was purely Mona. She was a bully, like Alison but she had her own way of bullying 7:00 I totally agree, she felt it way before it actually happened, that's why she became A before Hanna left her, and I also really felt Bad for her. Like you said Mona was popular and all but Hanna was the only Friend she truly cared about and it must have been so horrible to understand that she was gonna leave her in order to become friend with her bully's best friends she couldn't use the " M" because she didn't want to give the girls that big hint, but most importantly it was very ironic because Alison was the queen of bullies and yes Mona could be mean but she had never been a bully so when she used that "A" it was like she was saying "I am tte New Alison I am the New queen of bullies" Plus Alison was "dead" so it was interesting for the girls to think it was her at the beginning no she didn't want to hurt the liars in s3. She truly loved Hanna but she truly wanted to know who the New A was so she had to pretend she wanted to hurt them. And of course she was still ill and you can't expect someone who spend their days playing with their mental illinesses to stay in control so sometimes she could go too far I don't think Mona was the one who hated Spencer. But when she came back Mona could assume her intelligence and I think Spencer felt threatened so she was very hostile and it amused Mona so she played with the situation. And later when she became more"cruel" it was because A wanted Spencer in the A team so she had to destroy her mind to make her more vulnerable and to turn her into a puppet when the girls and her almost got killed at tornhill I don't think she was shoked at all, personally I even thought she was expecting it because she was like "look what you've done !" Which means she thought A wanted to kill her only because A thought she had betrayed her or because she had disappointed her... And I kinda felt bad for her because she had worked so hard to find out who A was, she put in danger her own mental health and when she thought she was finally going to meet A this happened... But if that mess never happened I don't think A would've thrown Mona under the bus. Mona was such a good "soldier" she was so smart and useful, it would've been so stupid to get rid of her Mona didn't kidnapp Mary and Alex for her, she did it for the girls. Because she knew they were going to go to an asylum and then to get free and then to be A again, just like Cece ... And she wanted to protect the pll so she took Care of it. And yes it wasnnt very realistic but we can imagine things like Mona blackmailing some policeman to make the girls think Mary and Alex are in a prison for example, Mona is very smart, like Alex said"of course she can, she's Mona" I think the girls should've forgiven Mona but only in s7 after the time jump, because time had passed, Mona was really nice to them she was doing everything they wanted her to do, and she also did things nobody had asked her to do for example she helped Emily to find out who the father of her baby was, she found out who and were AD was and because of that Spencer and Ezra have been saved, she really deserved forgiveness. I don't blame the girls for being inable to forgive her but I think it would've been a good thing for the show.

[@KathyRNguyen]

girl…. waiting for this video was the only thing getting me thru last week

[@SerenaSkybourne]

🥰🥰

[@chichiibegbu6223]

I cried when Mona "died" I was truly devastated... Mona is one of my favorite characters in the show because she was the outcast and bullied and that resonates with me. Mona is such a great and complex character; I just appreciate the layers to Mona

[@averagejustin]

Yeah there was something funky with Caleb and Mona. The forced make out session, the coffee, and in the final season he takes a bite of her pie which was bizarre. If I were Hanna I would’ve been like “what the fuck is up here?!”

[@chanelwilson7814]

Hanna probably never questioned it because she trusts the both of them and didn’t really think much of it as more than platonic. However, I did see the tension and it would have been nice to see Maleb explored in 6B.

[@shonascott5499]

I've literally never watched a single episode of PPL in my life but hearing you talk for ages is always my go to background sound for when I draw cause you talk so clearly and analyse things so well great job! 😊

[@SerenaSkybourne]

haha thankyou 🥰

[@solierix]

Vandermarin + Caleb is something I've never considered...

[@lilrat6805]

Absolutely loving your pretty little liars videos thank you so much for making them!

[@user-ji9if5gh2p]

i’ve been looking forward to this for so long

[@strangerlajeana]

BEEN REWATCHING ALL UR ANALYSES TO GET READY FOR THIS ONE

[@solierix]

Mona with the other liars was so interesting, I still hate that they made the spinoff centered around her and Ali instead of Spencer or something... like a thriller mystery where they have to work together

[@s.ugahoneyicetea]

OMG I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE MONA VIDEO!!!!!😭💗💗

[@tiddlesletoitoise]

i love your videos so much I am so grateful there's no music in the background as its so distracting

[@yuna2500]

YES I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR SO LONG OMG love your videos😫💖

[@SerenaSkybourne]

love you!!!

[@FifthAveAtFive]

I think it would’ve been so cool if the final Emily plot from the books was used for Mona and Emily in the show. Like Mona fakes her death in the dollhouse and everyone thinks A/Cece killed Mona and A/Cece uses that to threaten the liars even though she didn’t but still thinks Mona killed herself. Then Mona starts leaving clues for the liars and they think it’s from A, but even though they seem directed at Hanna, Emily is the one that follows them and with Mona’s help fakes her own death. With them going rogue they uncover Cece as A. Mona becomes more accepted into the group as a result and then series ends with Alison being Uber A because Mona has “replaced” her and she blames the liars for Charlotte’s death.

[@bloodyliar007]

I know you've been doing sooo many takes on PLL already but honestly I can't get enough. Would love your hot takes on the main boyfriends, parents and some reoccurring/important side characters like Jenna

[@soreal55]

STAN MONA VANDERWAAL.

[@ernestohuerta4711]

YESSS!!! PLL videos are always the best!!!

[@rivendellstarlight]

dang, people get here fast! I'm excited to watch this one :) That's kind of funny cause that was the same title I suggested for Allison's video lol

[@areyouapisces]

i cant wait for your cruel summer vid! it reminds me of pll alot with the questionable kidnapping and not knowing whos actually evil etc and jeannette gives me pll villian especially at the end.

[@laraspace6139]

Good video. Now I am off to watch cruel Summer, thanks for the rec.

[@henrikguemoes1003]

AHHHHHHHHH THE BEST PLL CHARACTER VIDEO I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR

[@johnhowardz9524]

It would be really interesting if as you did a video on all of the liars and Mona, you did a video on most of the side characters such as Jenna, Noel, Lucas, Jason, Ian, Wilden etc!

[@miafml-ux2wf]

yes! ive been waiting for this for ages!!!!

[@hannah8479]

It always drives me crazy rewatching the show and watching them ice her out. Like they forgave so much worse than what Mona did but never completely forgave her. I wish we saw more of her she’s my favorite character and she was written in a genius way. She deserved more 😭

[@jasonmoukala8909]

Um what? Did you watch what she did to them for years

[@jjjjj4787]

We love you sharing your thoughts and your videos are so great! Glad you love it too. 💕

[@SerenaSkybourne]

😘😘

[@maganhare8466]

ahhh I LOVED cruel summer so much I'm so excited for your review

[@spanglelime]

Thanks KZbin for giving me the notification for this video. It's almost like I subscribed bc I wanted to watch these videos. Anyway, I'm here now, and so here for the Mona vid. Been looking forward to this one!

[@SerenaSkybourne]

Thanks for subbing! and i couldnt wait to film it

[@spiritfang36aj47]

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS OMLL YAY

[@fatbitch7168]

Great video as always ❤️❤️❤️

[@melaniefulginiti8426]

I come home to this :-) thank you Serena

[@Melissdan]

I LOVE CRUEL SUMMER! Can't wait for the video!!

[@hi_there1239]

i've requested a cruel summer video on a couple of ur last ppl videos, i'm so excited ur watching it!!! i'm rlly curious to see ur opinion on the twists and turns!! i also am interested to see u talk about kate and martin, particularly since u have a video on aria and ezra's glamorized relationship and where pll's writing failed there, cruel summer's succeeded in it's disturbing portrayal (also with BRILLIANT acting from olivia holt and blake lee in that storyline).

[@solierix]

BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE

[@v1olante]

Your voice is super soothing to listen to. Also, great video, I agree with most of the points you made. I definitely think the girls were too harsh on Mona sometimes. I wish she got more screentime.

[@DigiCount]

Been waiting for this one

[@adelinebergdorf3425]

YESSSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE GO OFF SERENA

[@SerenaSkybourne]

YASSS

[@jennathejedi]

The thumbnail killed me ahahha I love it!

[@elahnevets]

FINALLY I’ve been freaking waiting

[@amelijaramonaite4965]

Stopppppp I WAITED FOR THIS VIDEO SO LONG, aaahahahahahhhhh i am soooo HAPPY

[@SerenaSkybourne]

hehe I was so excited to film it

[@KandraKSwiftie1985]

Another great deep dive. Mona was one of my favorite characters because she had so much depth to her. I agree with a lot of what you shared about her. I too wonder if had just been better if they had just kept her dead like in the books.

[@jordinkelli]

Yessss I’ve been waiting for this! Mona is my favorite character!

[@janajohannaa]

PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON CRUEL SUMMER. BC OF YOUR MENTION OF IT I BINGE WATCHED IT IN A DAY AND HOLYYYYYYY … that ending. that plot twist i was shocked and did not expect it

[@SerenaSkybourne]

ive got a video coming- next tuesday!

[@AxleMyths]

I definitely think by the time season 7 came around, Mona earned their forgiveness. She was always helpful to be treated like dirt... And remember, the girls and Allison sort of started it. Like, attempt at murder is not something you can forget. So if the other girls had a different dynamic than Hana, it would have been better... But Esspecially by season 7, their distrust for her just gets irritating. They do not have to be friends, but i feel like the other girls should have been like "Mona hasn't let us down before," and trust in her... Have a bit of faith. She did a bunch of crappy stuff, but it was all for Hana... So i feel like if her and Hana became friends again, it would have made sense... And after she crashed that one party, and everyone was just so crappy to her, i feel like that could have been a growing moment for them... Like, She's not the same person she was in highschool... And neither are we. then from there have some more respect for her-- even if they aren't friends.

[@dianaszuts398]

She is my personal favourite :) Great video as always.... Thank you!😊

[@SerenaSkybourne]

🥰

[@dianaszuts398]

@@SerenaSkybourne I also loved Mona in the Perfectionist too, but her arc was really unfinished...

[@matcha.cinnamon]

NAUUURURR CUS I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEOOOO

[@snatchingcareers4681]

I love the way you word things, I don’t know it sounds weird but I’m new to the channel so hi! Btw niceee video🤍

[@alienflowergirl]

Honestly I feel like the writes felt more comfortable making Mona have more depth and be a kinda bad person but not just cause she can. Where I wish they did that with the girls too cause it’s like how did you bond with Alison besides just her bringing you in. I don’t know i wish the writers made the girls have depth like they did with Mona. She is I think the best written character cause of the depth and motives.

[@fatbitch7168]

You should really talk about Jennifer's Body. I'm obsessed over that movie and it deserves tons of appreciation Edit: I feel famous having so much likes in this comment jfkskd love you all uwu